Ottawa Police Sergeant Jean Lamothe is a man who believes that people hold the power to keeping their neighbourhoods safe—and that crime prevention is best achieved by working together. Those who know him best will tell you he’s a man who never gives up.

When he started working in community policing 15 years ago, Hintonburg and Mechanicsville were teetering on the edge. Residents were desperate to push out drug dealers, crack houses, Johns and sex trade workers. They wanted to take back their streets and return their neighbourhoods to a time and place where children felt safe. In Sgt. Jean Lamothe, they found their champion.